Refrigerator-car



(No Model.)

W.. H. H. SISUM.

RBFRIGBRATOR GAR..

@ma wf PATENT EErcE.

VILIIAM II. I-I. SISUM, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

REFRlGERATOR-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 401,385, dated April16, 1889. Application tiled September 19, 188B. Serial No. 285,799. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM l-I. l-I. Sismi, of Brooklyn, in Kingscounty, and the State of New York, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Refrigerator-Cars, of which the following' is aspecification.

I will describe a car embodying my improvement, and then point out thenovel features in a claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a central longitudinal sectionof a car embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of thecar-bodyon alarger scale.

Similar letters of reference designate cor responding parts in bothfigures.

A designates the body of the car. It may be of the ordinary or any otherdesirable shape. It has double floors, walls, and roof.

a. designates the inner end walls.

h designates the outer end walls.

a2 designates the inner side walls.

h2 designates the outer side walls.

co3 designa-tes the inner door.

b3 designates the outer or lower door.

a* designates the inner roof.

bf designates the outer roof.

b designates a dome which forms part of the upper roof.

The lower floor, b3, is secured to the under side of the sills orlongitudinal timbers s of the car-body, and the inner floor, a3, issecured to the upper sides of these sills. Obviously, therefore, thespace between the two floors is divided by the sills into a number oflongitudinal channels. The inner end walls, a', are secured to the inneredges of the end posts or stanchions, 19, and the outer end walls, h',are secured to the outer edges of these posts or stanchions. The innerside walls, a?, are secured to the inner edges of the side posts orsianchions, t, and the outer side walls, b2, are secured to the outeredges of these posts or stanchions. It will be seen, therefore, that thespaces between the inner and outer side walls are divided into a numberof vertical channels, and that this is also true of the spaces betweenthe inner and outer end Walls.

I have not shown any communication between the channels of the doublefloor and the channels of the walls. The channels of both the end andside walls communicate at the lower ends with the atmosphere below thecar-body through openings c. Air may therefore enter these channels fromthe lower end. The heating of the outer side walls, especially where thesun shines upon them, will cause a rarefaction of the air within thevertical channels of the side and end walls. An upward circulation ofair will result. The air will flow into the space formed between theinner roof, a, and the outer roof, h4, and into the large open spacebetween the inner roof, a4, and the dome The sides of the dome b5 areprovided with openings d, which may advantageously be covered withwire-gauze, and from which the air may escape.

By my construction of a car-body I secure an automatic circulation ofair outside the inner walls which form the refrigerating-chamber, or, inother words, the chamber in which the freight of the car is packed. Thiscirculation of air prevents any material heating of the inner walls andinner roof of the carbody and enables the freight to be kept cool.

The inner roof, a4, is provided with doors or valves e. These doors eextend lengthwise of the car-body, and are arranged at the longitudinalcenter of the inner roof, a4. They are connected to the inner roof byhinges, and may be raised and lowered more or less to vary thecirculation or escape of air from the freight-compartment.

Below the middle portion of the car-body, and between the two sets ofwheels by which the car-body is supported, I have arranged an icebcx, B.This ice-box consists of an inner and outer wall having an air-spacebetween them. The inner walls, f, and also the outer walls, f extenddownwardly from the lower Iioor of the car-body. The inner floor of theice-box is depressed toward the center, so

that the water formed by the melting of ice within the ice-box may drainto the center and run out through central openings, g, with which thefloors of the ice-box are provided. It may be observed that there isarranged above the upper 'floor of the ice-box a rack for sustaining theice at a distance above the upper or inner iioor. The openings g willhave combined with them a trap of any suitable construction to permit ofthe escape of water while preventing the ingress of air.

The lower floor of the ice-box is provided with openings 7L, throughwhich air may as- IOO eend-to the space between the double side walls ofthe ice-box for the purpose of keeping the inner walls cool. Above theice-box the inner floor, d3, of the car-body is provided with openingsz'. These openings are arranged adjacent to the inner side walls, a2,and inner end walls, a', of the car-body. They are covered bydistributers C. These distributers are shown as consisting of castingssecured to the inner floor and inner walls of the carbody, andconsisting of upright lower portions secured to the inner floor andoblique upper portions secured to the inner wal-ls. They are providedwith numerous holes throughout their extent. Owing to this, air whichmay circulate from the ice-box into the car-body will be distributedthroughout the car-body.

Air ascending from the ice-box will pass from the side portions of theice-box directly upward through the adjacent openings t'. It Will'passto the other openings z' after iiowing along the passages formed betweenthe sills and the upper and lower iioors.

The car-body is shown as provided with a side door, A. This dooroperates in connection with a door-casing which closes the space betweenthe side walls of he car-body. The ice-box B has a similar door, B.

If the natural circulation of air from the ice-box into thefreight-chamber of the carbody is insufficient at any time, a moreactive circulation may be induced by opening the doors or valves e moreor less, for the iiow of air over the opening controlled by these doorswill induce an outward flow of air from the freight-chamber.

By my improvement I produce a ear suitable for meats and other foodproducts, and which is simple in construction and comparativelyinexpensive. The circulation of air around the walls, floor, and roof ofthe freightchamber will keep the freight-chamber cool, and thetemperature of the freight-chamber may be maintained at a low degree bya comparatively small quantity of ice in the ice-box.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

In a refrigerator-car, the combination, with the car-body, comprisingdouble side and end walls secured to stanchions and a double roof, ofvertical air-passages formed by the stanohions and double side and endwalls and the double walls of the roof, said passages opening to theoutside atmosphere at the bottom of the car and having an outlet throughthe roof, a floor for the car consistinglof two courses, an ice-boxarranged beneath the floor and having air communication between saidcourses and through openings in the upper course with the interior ofthe car, deectors over said openings, and hinged valves in the innerwall of the roof, substantially as specified.

WM. H. H. SISUM. Vitnesses:

D. H. DRIscoLL, M. J. RoAoH.

